Timor-Leste has been nominally Catholic since early in the Portuguese colonial period. The Catholic faith became a central part of East Timorese culture during the
Indonesian occupation between 1975 and 1999. While under Portuguese rule, the East Timorese had mostly been
animist, sometimes integrated with minimal Catholic ritual, the number of Catholics dramatically increased under Indonesian rule. This was for several reasons: Indonesia was predominantly
Muslim; the Indonesian state required adherence to one of six officially recognised religions and recognise traditional beliefs; and because the Catholic Church, which remained directly responsible to the
Vatican throughout Indonesian rule, became a refuge for East Timorese seeking sanctuary from persecution. The 'Apostolic Administrator' (
de facto Bishop) of the Diocese of
Dili, Monsignor
Martinho da Costa Lopes, began speaking out against human rights abuses by the Indonesian security forces, including rape, torture, murder, and disappearances. Following pressure from
Jakarta, he stepped down in 1983 and was replaced by the younger priest, Monsignor
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, who Indonesia thought would be more loyal. However, he too began speaking out, not only against human rights abuses, but the issue of self-determination, writing an open letter to the Secretary General of the
United Nations, calling for a referendum. In 1996 he was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize, along with exiled leader
José Ramos-Horta, now the country's
President. However, in spite of the majority of the country's people now being Catholics, there is freedom of religion in the new secular republic, and the former
prime minister Marí Alkatiri, is a
Muslim of
Yemeni descent. ==Sports==